Boise State made preseason poll. But is Group of Five getting respect?

US LBM Coaches Poll: Texas Longhorns No. 1

The US LBM Coaches Poll is back for another season and Paul Myerberg breaks down the storylines to know in the preseason.

Sports Pulse

Spencer Danielson is glad his Boise State team is back in the conversation, “which it should be.”

Following their first College Football Playoff appearance, the Broncos are No. 25 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the first time they will start the season ranked since 2018.

“It’s awesome you know that people or writers or coaches think that we’re going to be good. We should be,” Danielson told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s Boise State.”

But the Broncos’ spot and admission reveals a noticeable fact about the Top 25: not only are they the last team in the poll, but are the only Group of Five team in it. That comes a year after no Group of Five teams started the season ranked, only the fifth time in the 35-year history USA TODAY Sports has administered the coaches poll.

Which begs the question: Are the non-power schools not getting enough respect, in a world that is becoming far less catered toward them?

It wasn’t long ago when Boise State and others annually occupied higher spots in the preseason poll. In 2010, the Broncos started at No. 5 and TCU and Utah, then members of the Mountain West, were No. 7 and No. 24, respectively, marking the only time three Group of Five teams started the season ranked in consecutive years. In 2011, Boise State was seventh and the Horned Frogs were 15th.

Since then, it’s become rare for schools outside the power conferences to be ranked high in the preseason. Boise State in 2013 (19th), Houston in 2016 (13th) and Cincinnati in 2021 (No. 10) are the only times Group of Five teams have ranked in the top 20. After 14 consecutive seasons from 2000-13 of being represented in the poll, the non-powers have been…

Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/08/07/group-of-five-preseason-poll-boise-state/85533759007/

Author :

Publish date : 2025-08-07 10:04:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.